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11/01/2010

Sub Damage Likely Minimal in Cablevision, Fox Retrans Fight

By: Mike Farrell, Multichannel News

Sanford Bernstein cable and satellite analyst Craig Moffett estimated that Cablevision Systems probably lost less than 10,000 customers in its two-week dispute with Fox Networks.

In a research note Monday, Moffett wrote that Verizon averages about 1,000 FiOS TV installs a day in Cablevision territory (25% of the roughly 4,000 installs the company average nationwide) and that constraints on the number of trained installers probably limits the company from going above 150% beyond that capacity. Add to that the customers that likely waited longer into the dispute to switch and the analyst estimated that the incremental loss to Cablevision was not likely more than 500 subscribers per day. Over 16 days - Fox went dark on Cablevision systems on Oct. 16 - and the total damage is about 8,000 lost subscribers.

"In other words," Moffett wrote, "barely big enough to notice."Click here for the full story at Multichannel.com